1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical diagnostic devices, and more specifically to catheter based probes.
2. Background Information
An accurate diagnosis of a vascular disease allows a doctor to choose an appropriate therapeutic treatment. A vessel can be afflicted with different vascular diseases ranging from less severe conditions, such as thrombosis, to extremely severe conditions, such as chronic total occlusion.
Various diagnostic procedures such as an angiogram and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) help provide some information regarding the vascular diseases being confronted by the doctor. However, many existing diagnostic devices and procedures do not provide enough information and are not consistently accurate. For example, an angiogram produces a silhouette that indicates the degree of constriction in a vessel, but the silhouette does not indicate what is causing the constriction and does not provide any chemical information about the diseased area. Furthermore, IVUS produces an image which can be difficult to interpret and is subject to poor signal transmission. IVUS also fails to provide any chemical information about the diseased area.
Because different vascular conditions are associated with different chemicals, the ability to detect the presence of particular chemicals in the vasculature would provide doctors with more accurate information regarding the vascular diseases afflicting a patient. With such information, a doctor could treat a patient""s vascular diseases using more appropriately tailored treatments.
The present invention provides a medical diagnostic apparatus having a catheter and a probe assembly coupled to the catheter. The probe assembly is capable of detecting a chemical analyte. In one embodiment of the present invention, the probe assembly includes a detection probe disposed within the catheter. In another embodiment, the detection probe includes an elongated member having a distal end formed with an optically clear cover and a membrane embedded with an analyte indicator.
The present invention also provides a method for detecting a chemical analyte. In one embodiment of the present invention, the method includes inserting a catheter in a lumen, advancing the catheter through the lumen, inserting a first detection probe within the catheter, and advancing the first detection probe through the catheter to a first target area.
Additional features and benefits of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description, figures and claims set forth below.